Malone wheless



2 sheetse-sheet I.

Patented Aug. 21,1894.

M. WHELBSS. ELECTRIC RAILWAY SUPPLY SYSTEM.

(No Model.)

(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2 M. WHELESS. ELECTRIC RAILWAY SUPPLY SYSTEM Patnted Aug. 21; 1894.-

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MALONE WHELESS, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

ELECTRIC-RAILWAY SU PPLY SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 524,773, dated August 21, 1894. Application filed July 7,1894 Serial No. 516,836. (No model.)

ley and the expensive construction incident to carrying conductors in an open subway or conduit under the latter system, and at the same time to attain an equally efficient pro pulsion of electric cars as is obtained by the overhead trolley system. i 9

My invention involves the use of contact pins which are the terminal of feeders from the main cable andwhich are placed at intervals in the track or roadway upon which the carruns-these contacts being successively met by a shoe on the car through which the current is led to the motor. Each feeder connection has in it normally open contacts which are controlled bya pick-up magnet located at that point-this pick-up magnet although located in the track being energized from a source of electrical supply on the car through suitable circuit connections. The invention however can best be explained and understood by reference to the accompanying draw: ings, in which-- Figure 1 is aside elevation of the car truck and frame,'together with a vertical longitudinal sectionof the track instrumentalities for operatingin connection therewith. Fig. 2is a cross section of one of the track boxes, showing also the shoes on the car for operating in connection therewith, and a diagram of the circuit connections on the car; in this figure there is also a sectional representation of the trackrails on which the car runs.

The particular mechanical construction of the parts about to be described may vary from that shown in the drawings; but that which is there illustrated I. believe to be on the wholethe bestadapted for practical pur-.

poses.

Boxes H are setin the track at such inter- 4" on the car will reachthe track terminals or contact pins of theone box bythe time it leaves the contact pins of the other. Each box is made preferably of iron, is hermetically sealed, and carries in it the devices through which current is supplied to the motor on the car.

An insulated lead covered cable D is laid the entire length of the route in a terra cotta o r"other suitable main and enters and passes through the boxes as shown in Fig. 1, the joints between it and the boxes being sealed and water-proof, and from the cable is led ofi a feeder n for each box. This feeder is attached to a metallic holder 2 which clamps a carbon block 3, the latter being held securely to a slate or other non-conducting slab 4 by a bolt 5. On the opposite end of the slab is a similar carbon contact block 6 mounted and fastened to the slab in the same way, and from the latter leads a wire 7 to the external coil 8 on the soft iron core 10 of the pick-up magnet-coil 8 communicating at its other end by wire 11 with the track terminal A as shown in Fig. 2. The pick-up magnet is secured to a slate or other non-conducting slab 12 attached to the under side of the top or cover of the box. It has two insulated coils, the external coil 8 already referred to and an internal coil 9. The internal coil is connected at one end to a wire l'which-leads to the termimu A and at its other end it communicates with wire 11 at say the point p, Fig. 2. The pins or track terminals A A which are insulated from the box project up through the box cover or top and rest by their heads upon aconcrete or other suitable non-conducting base. These terminals are intended to cooperate with the two shoes rr' withwhich the car is providedone for each terminal. The energizing circuit for the pick-up magnet is completed through terminals A, A and the feeder or motor circuit is completed through the terminal A.

Below slab 4: is still another non-conducting slab 13. Both slabs are suspended from the top slab 12 by rodsl t upon which rods the slab 13 can move up and down to and from the contacts on slab 4. Upon slab 13 are carbon contacts 15, 16 placed opposite to the contacts 3, 6 of slab 4, and having a metallic connection 17. And between the contacts 15, 16, and just under the soft iron core 10 of .the pick-up magnet (the lower end of which core projects down through the slab 4) is the iron armature 18 which also is fastened to slab 13.

The contacts 3, 6, 15, 16, are those contacts through which the connection between the feeder and the track terminal A is established. They are normally open, and they are controlled by the pick-up magnet, which when energized attracts its armature and thus closes the contacts.

It will be noted that all of the working parts of each box are arranged in or on and carried by the cover, so that by removing the latter all of the working parts will thereby be removed bodily and together.

The car carries the two contact shoes 7', 1" which are insulated from each other and from the truck or car frame. That shoe 1" which cooperates with the track terminal A is connected to the terminal '0 of the car motor by wire t (Fig. 2); from the other terminal of the motor the circuit leads through the body and wheels of the truck to the rail in the customary way as typifiedat x. That shoe 1' which co-operates with the track terminal A is connected by wire 20 to a source of electrical supply as for example the primary or storage cell B, the other pole of which is connected by wire 19 to the other shoe 7.

Whenever the shoes 1', 4' meet a pair of track terminals A, A, an energizing circuit from the cell B through the coil 9 of the pick-up magnet will be closedthis circuit being from one pole of battery, wire 20, shoe 1'', track terminal A, wire 1, coil 9, wire 11, track terminal A, shoe 7', wire 25, 19, to other pole of battery. The result of closing this circuitis to energize the pick-up magnet, which thereupon attracts its armature and thus closes the contacts controlled by it in the feeder connection, and as the shoe 7' at this time is on its track terminal A the motor cir-v cuit is closedthis circuit being from cable through feeder 71., contacts 3, 15, 17, 6, 16, wire '7, coil 8, wire 11, track terminal A, shoe 7", wire 15, motor wire a: to track rail.

In Fig. 1 the car has just left one box and has reached another; in the box just quitted the contacts in the feeder connection are open, in the other they are closed.

I prefer to provide the pick-up magnet with the additional coil 8 in the motor circuit; but

- manifestly this coil might be dispened with,

and the wire 7 might lead directly to track: terminal A. So too, in case the coil 8 be retained then a long shoe '1" will not be needed.

. All that would be required would be a con-- tact on the car to meet the terminal A long enough to energize the pick-up magnet and cause it to close the contacts controlled by thus hold the contacts 3, 15, 850., closed so long as the shoe r remained on the terminal A appropriate to those contacts. But, as before said, and for'the sake of greater safety, I prefer the arrangement illustrated in the drawings.

The track boxes for protecting the working parts have no significance electrically. The electrical instrumentalities essential to my system are the series of track terminals for the energizing and motor circuits respectively; normally open contacts in the feeder connections; armatures for closing said contacts, a pick-up magnet forfcontrolling each armature circuit, connections for said magnet including a source of electrical supplyon the car; and contact shoes on the car whereby the energizing and motor circuits are closedthrough the successive track terminals over which the car passes.

What Iclaim, therefore, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- Y 1. An electrical railway system comprising a car provided with a pair of shoes insulated from each other and from the body of the car a source of electrical supply havingits opposite poles connected to said shoes respectively, and a motor connected by one of its poles to one of said shoes only, and having its opposite pole connected to one of the track rails, in combination with track terminal pins in pairs held in boxes set at such intervals apart that the contact shoes on the car will reach one pair before they leave the other, a cable and feeder therefrom connected to those track terminals through which the motor circuit is completed, normally open contacts in each feeder connection, an armature for closing said contacts, a pick-up magnet for each armature, having its energizing coil connected to its appropriate pair of track terminal pins whereby when the car shoes meet a pair of track terminals a circuit including the pick up magnet of those terminals, andthe source of electrical supply on the car will be closed, with the result of energizing the pick-up magnet and thus closing the normally open contacts in the feeder connection appropri-" r15 ate to the track terminals on which the car shoes rest, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

2. The combination of the box, theinsulated track terminals A, A, ing through the cover of the box the cable D, the feeder connection between the cable and track terminal A, the normally open contacts in said feeder connection, the armature for closing said contacts, and the pickup magnet secured to and carried by the box cover and having its energizing coil connected to the terminals A, A, respectively, substantially as and-for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

held in and project-.

3. The combination of thebox,theinsulated the feeder connection, substantially as and track terminals A, A, the cable, the feeder for the purposes hereinbefore set forth. :0 connection between the cable and terminal In testimony whereofI aflix my signature in A, normally open contacts in said feeder conpresence of two witnesses.

5 nection, the armature for closing said con- MALONE WHELESS.

tacts, and the pick-up magnet provided with Witnesses: two coils or windings, the one 9 connected to 0. H. FOWLER, the terminals A, A, the other 8 included in EWELL A. DICK. 

